The Tile Shower Drain -- More Than You Can See
The tile shower drain is tricky and much of the tricky part is buried in the shower pan
. Look, the whole tile shower is made to route all the water to the drain. All that water includes the part that leaks through the floor. Because tile floors are never completely water-tight. Some water ends up leaking right through the floor.
The drain has holes that are on two layers. The top layer you can easily see. The lower layer is down in the floor. The two layers are crucial to make the shower floor work.
Here's the way it works.
Usually the drain is attached to the drain pipe so the drain base sits right on the subfloor. Then you build a very important layer next. It's a masonry layer that slopes at about 1/4 inch per foot from the base of the drain up on the shower walls.
Then over that slopedlayer is installed the real trick to a shower floor. A waterproof sheet membrane is set over the sloped mortar and then attached right on top of the drain base. That liner is sealed to the base so the water that makes it to the liner is sent right to the lower drain holes.
After the liner is fitted in all the corners, which is tricky, the next layer is installed.
The next layer is another masonry layer that is the base for actually laying the shower floor tiles. So it's a mortar layer, then the liner membrane, then more mortar.
But think about this...
Learning how to make a shower pan using mortar is the time=tested way to build a problem-free shower. The really tricky part about building shower pans is the best parts are hidden. The critical parts are buried in the shower floor and can't be seen after the shower is finished. Here are some of the basics that must be right.
1. The liner membrane.
Did you know that a shower floor naturally leaks. It's true. The tile grout and even some tiles are not waterproof at all. Water just passes right through the floor and that can cause major damage. The key to a shower pan that works is one layer. That's a waterproof layer that is actually built into the floor. That's usually a vinyl sheet that catches all the water that leaks into the floor.
2. Pre-sloped mortar.
That vinyl liner membrane is installed over a sloped layer of mortar. The slope throws the water toward a special shower drain. That means the water that makes it to the waterproof layer won't just pool within the shower floor and sit there. Without a slope below the liner, the shower base becomes a moldy mess.
3. Deck mud.
The mortar used to build the floor is often called deck mud. It's a special mix of parts, but it's a simple mix. It's just portland cement, sand and water. That's it. Those three ingredients in the right recipe are all you want.
4. Walls count too.
There' more than mortar too. See, the high moisture shower can ruin the walls behind the tile too. That's why usually cement board is the wall base of choice. That's because cement board won't rot. It's also important thought to put a waterproof layer behind the cement board. Otherwise, the walls can become damp and a moldy mess hidden out of sight.
5. The top mortar.
The second layer of mortar and the top layer of the shower pan is a final sheet of deck mud. This is actually laid right over the liner membrane. Ever thought about how the water that makes it to the liner membrane makes it to the drain? It seems like water wouldn't move through a solid masonry layer. That's where the special tile shower drain enters the picture.
If you want to learn how to make a shower pan, you must understand some of the hidden parts. The waterproof liner membrane and the special tile shower drain are really the keys to a leak-proof shower. Those are both buried in the floor and that's why it's hard to see how they work.
Wouldn't the mortar stop up the lower shower drain holes? How could you have shower drain holes that are down inside a "solid" masonry floor? How's that?
by: Maggie
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